The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-05-04

The discrimination against Boston
wholly to the railroads instead of in
part to the law.
MORE republicans than democrats
voted against the interstate commerce
bill in both houses, although it was in
no wise partisan measure. 1t was
passed in answer to a somewhat in
definite complaint against monopoly in
railroad business, and it seems to have
operated like boomerang, hitting
those who threw the implement much
more severely than it hits those against
whom it was thrown.-HarUord Post.
The civil service reformers of Boston
and vicinity held one of their periodical
pow-wows the other evening. Dr.
William Everett said the I" independ-
ents should give President Cleveland
their confidence rather than their criti-
cism. He also remarked: "We helped
elect Mr.. Cleveland in 1884; let us see
to it that he is not elected without us
in 1885," This settles the political
status of the mugwumps for next year.
IT is given out that the powerful and
caustic political criticisms of the ma
tional administration, etc., that have APP
peared in the North American Rerie,o
were from different pens. The attack
on Cleveland was written by William
Henry Hurlburt; of the others, one was
written by Mr.. Rice himself, one by
Senator ingalls, and the fierce attack on
James Russell Lowell by no less a
formidable antagonist than General b.
f. Butler.
THE special report by the Massa-
chusetts board of railroad commission
ers in relation to the disaster Monday,
March IA, on the Dedham branch of
the Boston Il Providence railroad was
presented to the legislature April
9th. The report is very severe upon
the officials of the road, and censures
them for culpable negligence in con-
structing and inspecting the bridge.
The disaster, the report says, was
caused by defective hangers.
THE Lawrence Citizen, speaking of
the selection of a republican presiden-
tial candidate, says: " Certainly the
renegade mugwump press are not likely
to be privileged to perform that service.
The lucky man, whoever he may be,
will be nominated by republicans, not
by weakened dissentients who sulkily
refuse to play unless they can rule the
roost, but by the sturdy yeomen who
are not ashamed of their party or its
principles. And what they nominate
they will elect"
THERE is talk of calling a special
session of the legislature in Iowa to
pass law to force the railways to in
terpret the interstate commerce law in
its true spirit instead of taking techni-
cal advantage of isolated clauses to
render it odious." We are not at all
certain but that some of the roads have
availed themselves of the law to show
the country that congress does not I'M
derstand railroading, but state legis-
lature is hardly likely to show superior
knowledge, and, with its limited juris-
diction, is in danger of making itself
ridiculous.-Ruland Herald.
THE chairman of the interstate COM
merce commission goes so far as to say
it is an elastic enactment. The fact is it
was the great bill of the politicians to do
everything for everybody, and they are
dismayed to see that it is fetter upon
business and general bore. The way
to reform in human affairs is not
through meddesome laws multiplying
the functions of the government. Bust
ness and the people will take very good
care of themselves if the incapables who
demagogue their way into official places
can be persuaded to look chiefly after
the little things that they understand
Cincinnati Commercial Gazette.
Mr.. CURTIS judges the republicans
of the nation by the mugwump stand
ard. He measures the Blaine men by
his own conduct at Chicago in 1884.
The difference, we take it, between a
mugwump and republican is this
that the former puts men above princi-
pies or policy, while the republican
puts principles above men. The latter
is anxious that his party shall triumph
because he wishes to see its principles
made the policy of the government;
and he sinks his personal preferences
as to candidates and bows to the ex-
pressed will of the majority of his fell
low-republicans in the choice of a
ticket.-Ioledo Blade.
THE Argus charges the republicans
with the design of g embezzling a few
Southern States " in the next presiden-
tial election. We judge from the SEN
timents expressed by the Argus and
other democratic papers that they
think the republicans have no right to
contend for political supremacy in any
Southern State on equal terms with the
democrats. 1t is certain that if the
republicans carry any Southern State
next year it will be by honest methods,
and not by the means so long employed
by the democrats to keep the South
solid for their party-the shotgun, the
tissue ballot, fraudulent counting of
votes and the abridgment of equal
rights.
THE proof that protection benefits
the farmer has been seldom presented
more plainly or forcibly than in the
following paragraph from an editorial
in the last number of the TeGtile Record.
The writer, in discussing the action of
the French assembly in Increasing the
1utv on what from siytaan IN twantv-